Combined rapid drier and stretcher



March 26, 1929. R. c. JONES COMBINED RAPID DRIER 'AND STRETCHER Filed May 17, 1928 R O T N E V m Patented Mar. 26, 1929 warren STATES Bonner" o. Jonas, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINED RAPID- DRIER AND STRETGHEE.

Application fi1ed= May] 17,

The present invention: relates to a com bined rapid drier and stretcher for curtains, blankets and similar articles and: to the method of drying and stretching, such an- 5 tides, and aims toprovide certain improvements-therein. a

Devices heretofore employed for drying and stretching articles of the character described are all of large size, require conside erabletimefor applying; drying and removing: the articles therefromg usually leaving the edges thereof scalloped and irregular, and are" objectionable from many other angles. Certain of said devices employsteam underhigh pressure asthe heating medium, thus necessitating: the services of a licensed engineer and thereby rendering their operation and maintenance veny costl-y.

According to the present invention, 1- pro vide a device of the class described which overcomes practically every objection to the determinedtemperatures, means for deflecting the heat from theheating units around the sides ofthe housing," a foraminated drum uponwhich tho article to be dried and stretched canbe quickly mounted and reqmoved means constituting an adjustable frame for accommodating and stretcl'iing an ticlesof variousdimensions, and means for distributing and forcing. the heated air out- Wardly through the openings in the drum into contact with. the article mounted thereon; p a

The invention also embodies the methodof drying and stretching articles of the classdesoribed, as Well asother features-of novel-- ty which will behereinaftermore fully de- SCIfibGCl. do a A preferred embodiment of inyinventlon is disclosed inn t-he accompauying; drawings} wherein Figure 1 is at front elevation; ofrtlie device of my mvention, the front ofthe casing be ing. removed and: the lower half of the device being: shown 1n longitudinah section.

1923. Serial No. 27mm Fig 2 is a section takenalong the line 2'-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section' taken] substantially along the line 3 3 01 Fig; 1.

Fig 4: is a: perspective view of thecircumferentially extending: adjusting: means.

Fig. 5 is a perspective-view of the longitudinal extending adjusting means.

Referring to the drawings, in the several figures of which like neiierenoe' characters are employed to designate the: same parts, let A indicatea: horizontally disposed: elongated housing within. which: is mounted-I a' dmunr B al pluralityofiheating elements 6,. a: de-. flector D, a pair of tans E, E, and bafiles F, F.

The housin'gi Alt isprefierably oi? substantially cylindrical cont-'ourwith flat end walls a dh each of which is formed witlr a centrali opening Within which is mounted the fans E, E. The housin'gtissupported upon a base a and is provided with a false bottom: a" in spaced relation. thereto for arpurpose which will presently appoan. The housing at its front is preferably formed with a hinged door a which opens downwardly into substantially horizontal position, as best shown: in: Fig. 2, to provide' access-to the (lIlllI1"-B,-S2Lld' door in openpositionserving as a supporting tablefon the curtain on other article while being applied and removed fromthe drum. A similar door may he'pro videdat the rear of the housing and in cooperation with the trout door serve for gaim ing' access to the interior ot the housing: when necessary" a a The Cll'llIIliB is-alsopreferably of cylindricalcontour and is mountedrifor rotation with inthe housing .inspaced relationtothe walls thereof. To accomplish: this the drunr is provided at each of its ends with a spider 5,. which spiders support at shaft 1)" which in turn is mounted in: suitable bearings G disposed within the housing As herein showni thesebearings rest upon thebaseofthehousing: in proximityto therend Wall's thereof.

Thebody or cylindrical walhof the drum B may be formedoiiwire'meshg netting, grill, lattice or perforated material of any kind substantially whatsoever, all of which 'r substances are such aswill permit the free passage of airunder pressure therethrougln These various dUum body substances may be groupech linden the:

generic term of: foraminated material. For lending rigidity to'the drum its endsmay be reinforced WLlth hOOPS Ba a a ed thereon the articles to be of'which is slidable and adjustablelongitudinally of the drum, and longitudinally extending elements J and J, the former of i which is fixed upon the drum and the latter of which is-removably adjustable upon the drum. Each of these elements H, H, J and .J are provided on their top surfaces with standard'file. carding. To provide for the ,slidable and adjustable engagement of the member H upon the drum said member carrics a hoop-like element it in laterally spaced relation thereto, which element is provided on its inner circumference with spaced inwardly projecting lugs'h which are slidable in grooves or tracks It extending-longitudinally of the drum. Preferably the frictional' engagement between the lugs 71 and the grooves is sufficient to hold the element H in any adjustable position upon the drunn Where the hoop h extends-over the element J it is provided with an offset portion h.- "For adjusting theelement J upon the drum one end is offset as shown at j and provided with a groove y" andthe other end is provided with a hook-like element f.

To secure the element J upon the drum the groove j is engaged under the intersection of ments H, and the end 9' seated under said ele-- one ofthe longitudinally, and one of the circumferentially extending wires of the wire mesh or grille adjacent one of the element-11.; The hook j at the other end is then engaged around the reinforcing hoop b at the other end of the'drum. If found necessary thehoops may be provided with any preferred form of guiding means for insuring the proper positioning of the member J V Theelectric heating elements C may be of any standard construction and any number may be employed depending upon the temperature it is desired to obtain within the housing. These heating elements C are 7 preferably positioned between the false bottom a of thehousing and the drum B, and

asherein shown they maybe mounted on the underside of the-deflector D, which is mount ed in spaced relation to the false bottom a through the medium of supports d, (l. The deflector-D: is preferablyarcuate in transverse cross section'and ofsubstanti'ally the same radius as the housing so that it will deflectthe heat fromthe'elements' C upward- 1y around the opposite sides of the housing.

In order to prevent undue heating of the floor underneath the device due to the heat produced therein, I line the false bottom a with a sheet of asbestos a and provide the walls of the housing between the false bottom and the base with a plurality of spaced openings a".

To insure a proper circulation of the heated air and the passage thereof through the openings in the drum and the curtain or similar material mounted upon said drum from the interior thereof, outwardly. the fans E, E are so mounted as to operate in opposition to one another. To accomplish this said fans are mounted upon a common axis which is coincident with the shaft b. To further insure the proper circulation of the air. baffles F, F are provided and positioned between the ends of the drum and the planes of the fans. These bafiles, as shown, are supported from the inner walls of the housing by suitable brackets f.

In the use of the machine, for example, for drying and stretching a curtain the interior of the housing is first heated by the elements C. \Vhen sufiicient-ly warm the door a" is opened to the position shown in Fig. 2 and the damp curtain K placed thereon. The adjustable element H is then set in spaced relation to an end element H corresponding to the width of the curtain. The top edge of the curtain is then placed upon the file earding of the securing means J and held in contact therewith by being brushed thereagainsl. The longitudinal edges of the curtain are then brushed over the file carding upon the elements H and H, the drum B being rotated in the direction of the arrow as the curtain is progressively mounted and stretched upon said drum. \Vhen the lower edge of .the curtain is reached the adjustable securing means J is mounted upon the drum and the lower edge of the curtain brushed over the file carding on said member J. The curtain is now in stretched condition upon the drum ready for drying. The door a. is closed and the electric fans set in operation. These fans blowing in opposition, force the heated air from the interior of the drum substantially radially outwardly through the openings in the drum and through the curtain on the drum, which air then passes along the space between the drum and'the housing toward the opposite ends thereof and down behind the bafiies F to again be acted upon by the fans. To remove the curtainfrom the drum it ismerely necessary to lift it off from the file carding as the drum is rotated. A curtain stretched on the device hereinbefore described will be found to be free from scallopcdedges-and other irregularities and will be ready for rehanging. I have found in practice that a curtain can be completely dried and stretched in less than five minutes.

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While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the specific details of construction herein disclosed, since the same are only illustrative of the principle and the mode of operation thereof and var-ions modifications may therefore be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention. 7

What I claim is: r y

l. A device of the character described comprising a housing having a substantially cylindrical portion, a rotatable :t'oraminated drum supported in said housing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, means for mounting an article to be dried on said drum and means for producing a continuous circulation of air within the housing through the openings in the drum,then through the space between the drum and the housing, around the ends of the drum into the drum and out again through the openings in the drum to the space between the drum and the housing.

2. A device of the character described comprising a housing having a substantially cylindrical portion, a rotatable drum coaxially supported in said housing in spaced relation to thewalls thereof, heating means mounted between the housing and the drum in spaced relation to both at the bottom of the housing, and an arcuate deflector of substantially the same radius as the housing disposed between the heated means and the drum for deflecting the heat from the bottom of the housing upwardly along the sides thereof.

3. A device of the character described comprising a housing having a substantially cylindrical portion, a substantially cylindrical foraminated drum supported in said housing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, heating means mounted in the space between the drum and the housing, and a pair of fans at the opposite ends ofthe housing mounted substantially on the axis of the drum and adapted to operate in opposition to each other to provide a circulation of heated air through the drum, outwardly through its openings and then through the space be tween the drum and the housing back into the drum.

4; A device of the character described comprising a housing having a substantially cylindrical portion, a substantially cylindrical foraminated drum supported in said housing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, heating means mounted within the housing,

5. A device of the character described comprising a substantially longitudinally disposed cylindrical housing formed of rigid material, a rotatable drum supported in said housing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, means for mounting an article to be dried upon said drum, and said housing having a hinged door at its front which opens downwardly into substantially horizontal open position to provide access to the drum and to serve as a supporting table for the article while beingapplied to and removed from the drum. 7

6. A device of the character described. comprising a housing, a foraminated drum supported in said housing in spaced. relation to the walls thereof, a pair of fans at the ends of the housing mounted substantially on the axis of the drum and adapted to operate in opposition to each other and a bafile extending at a right angle to the axis of the drum disposed between each end of the drum and the end of the housing be tween the plane of the fan and the end of the drum, said baffles being open at their center and having an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the drum.

7. A device of the character described con'iprising a housing, a foraminated drum supported in said housing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, a pair of fans at the ends of the housing mounted substantial:

ly on the axis of the drum and adapted to radius substantially equal to the length of the fan blades.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

' sour. c. JONES. 

